American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE:AEO) Rating Increased to Buy at StockNews.com

American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE:AEO) was upgraded by investment analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday.

Several other equities research analysts also recently commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $23.00 target price (down from $27.00) on shares of American Eagle Outfitters in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Barclays cut their price objective on shares of American Eagle Outfitters from $26.00 to $22.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, December 6th. BMO Capital Markets decreased their target price on shares of American Eagle Outfitters from $22.00 to $20.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price target on shares of American Eagle Outfitters from $22.00 to $19.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group decreased their price objective on shares of American Eagle Outfitters from $23.00 to $20.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, December 5th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, American Eagle Outfitters presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $22.40.

American Eagle Outfitters Stock Performance

Shares of American Eagle Outfitters stock traded up $0.02 during trading on Monday, hitting $17.20. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 3,426,538 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,519,446. American Eagle Outfitters has a 52 week low of $16.06 and a 52 week high of $26.44. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $17.94 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $19.69. The company has a market capitalization of $3.30 billion, a PE ratio of 14.70, a P/E/G ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.53.

American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE:AEO) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, December 4th. The apparel retailer reported $0.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.46 by $0.02. American Eagle Outfitters had a net margin of 4.28% and a return on equity of 20.75%. The firm had revenue of $1.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.30 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.49 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was down .9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts predict that American Eagle Outfitters will post 1.69 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at American Eagle Outfitters

In other American Eagle Outfitters news, Director Cary D. Mcmillan sold 2,283 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $21.49, for a total transaction of $49,061.67. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 7.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of American Eagle Outfitters

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Kathleen S. Wright Associates Inc. purchased a new position in shares of American Eagle Outfitters during the 3rd quarter worth $32,000. Advisors Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in American Eagle Outfitters by 171.1% during the third quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 2,548 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $57,000 after purchasing an additional 1,608 shares in the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new stake in American Eagle Outfitters during the third quarter valued at about $141,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in American Eagle Outfitters in the third quarter worth about $141,000. Finally, Mount Yale Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in American Eagle Outfitters in the third quarter worth about $199,000. 97.33% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About American Eagle Outfitters

American Eagle Outfitters, Inc operates as a multi-brand specialty retailer in the United States and internationally. The company provides jeans, apparel and accessories, and personal care products for women and men under the American Eagle brand; and intimates, apparel, activewear, and swim collections under the Aerie and OFFLINE by Aerie brands.